Public hospitals in Washington are required to provide “substantially equivalent” abortion and maternity care services. A new lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union says some hospitals in the state are not complying.

Genesys Health System has stopped offering tubal ligations to cesarean section patients because such procedures violate Catholic doctrine, according to a letter sent to to Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Until the Irish government repeals the Eighth Amendment and replaces the new unworkable law with policies that facilitate rather than obstruct access to abortion, women will continue to be seen simply as means to an end.

by Lori Freedman, Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH)

June 24, 2014 - 3:03 pm

Over the past decade, Catholic hospitals have merged with and purchased nonsectarian hospitals around the United States, becoming leading players in the nation’s health-care industry. Here are six commonly held misconceptions about the breadth and depth of Catholic hospital care.

As required by a new state mandate, most hospitals in Washington have submitted their policies on patients’ access to a variety of health-care options. However, the policies vary significantly in format, information provided, and availability of access for people seeking reproductive health care.

Rhetoric trying to redefine contraception not as health care but as a sexual kink is becoming a mainstream conservative preoccupation, especially in light of the Affordable Care Act listing contraception as a preventive care service. What can be done to fight back, before the right start seriously chipping away at access?

The new rules were ordered by Gov. Jay Inslee in response to a wave of hospital mergers in which Catholic hospital associations have joined with secular hospitals, raising concerns about reproductive health-care policies.

A Colorado cardiologist says “everyone is acting in a very adult and mature manner” since the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed a complaint in November alleging that a rural Catholic hospital illegally prohibits doctors from discussing abortion with their patients.